What should I look for in a mechanical keyboard for FPS and typing at work?

[Ava_J]

I’ve been using a standard membrane keyboard for years, but I just tried a friend’s mechanical one and the difference in how it felt to type and game was huge. I’m wondering if switching to a mechanical keyboard is really worth the investment for someone who mostly plays FPS and types a fair bit for work, or if it’s just a niche preference I don’t fully understand yet.

[LukeKJ]

I borrowed a friend's board with blue switches and stuck with it for a week. Typing felt crisper, the travel was shorter, and the bottom-out was satisfying. In games I felt I could flick to a target a touch faster, but it wasn’t a huge jump. I even swapped the keycaps to some PBT set and tried a heavier spacebar, not sure that mattered but it felt nicer to rest on.

[Nora.W]

I picked up a basic tenkeyless with red switches and hoped the FPS gap would widen. It didn’t. My aim or decision speed didn’t improve notably; practice and latency mattered more. The sound and feel were different, sure, but the cost didn’t match the tiny gains for me. If you’re budgeting, you might want to test with a friend’s board first.

[Aurora.W]

Do you actually need that tactile feedback for typing, or is the difference mainly about the sound and the way it feels under your fingers?

[Jacob.S]

I even started chasing desk stuff like nicer cable sleeves and a fancier mousepad, thinking that would push things more. Then I realized I was chasing vibes, not real wins. After a while I still couldn’t prove a meaningful edge in games, and for typing I just tolerated the extra noise.